October 27, 2026 — October marks National Seafood Month — a month when Americans are encouraged to consume more seafood and support America’s seafood harvesters. Alaskans don’t need National Seafood Month to remind us about seafood, though. Seafood is already an integral part of our day-to-day lives, a staple of our diets, and a pillar of our local food system. If you haven’t crewed on a fishing boat yourself, then you certainly know someone who has. It’s important that we not take our seafood for granted as we head to the polls this election season; your vote will shape the future of Alaska’s seafood access and abundance.
Here in Alaska, seafood is much more than just a source of omegas and nutrient-packed protein — although those are all great reasons to consume it. Seafood has sustained Alaska’s Indigenous communities for millennia and remains central to their cultures and traditions. Seafood unites Alaskans, bringing us together and giving us a shared purpose; just visit the Kenai River during the salmon dipnet season and you’ll see people old and young, rural and urban, Alaska Native and non-Native elbow-to-elbow, chest-deep in the water cheering each other on and lending each other a hand. According to the State of Alaska’s Food Security and Independence Task Force 2022 Report, fishing is the single greatest source of wild-harvested food for Alaskans. Subsistence, personal use, and sportfish harvests comprise approximately 50–60% of the annual wild food harvested by Alaskans. This access to local seafood is especially important in Alaska’s rural communities where recent surveys show that nearly all rural Alaskans depend on fish. What these statistics really tell us, though, is that harvesting seafood is how we provide for our families and build community. Being able to harvest and share seafood with others is what makes us Alaskans.